String bets and betting etiquette

If you have never played poker in a casino card room, you may find your first trip intimidating. Every card room has its own rules and some of the things you might do in a game at a friends place may not be allowed. It is a good idea to try to familiarize yourself with the rules beforehand to avoid costly mistakes. Most card rooms have their rules posted somewhere, but you will be able to pick up most of them just through careful observation.

When you sit at a table, you will usually be given the option to "post" - that is no matter your position, you can put in the amount of the big blind and you will be dealt in right away. I recommend not posting but waiting until the big blind comes to you - this gives you the opportunity to just observe as few hands.

Many rules revolve around the way you handle your chips. Most (but not all) poker tables have a betting line and any chips you push over that line are committed. If you grab a handful of $5 chips, reach over that line and drop a couple on the felt, you might be told that the rest of the chips in your hand are also committed to the pot. Similarly, you can not put three $5 chips over the line, then go back and grab another three $5 chips and put them in as well. The only time you would be allowed to bet in this manner would be if you announced your total bet before you started moving your chips.

The reason these rules exist is to try to eliminate "string betting". A string bet is a way some players try to get a read on an opponents strength. They might move a whole bunch of chips of over the line and then, seeing a look of glee on an opponents face, pull some back. Or they might see a look of disappointment in their opponent and so go back for more chips. Some players still try something like this by grabbing a big stack of chips and pretending they are going to bet them, just to see your reaction. Just remember that in most places the bet isn't made until the chips cross the line, so don't give your hand away!

Some tables don't have betting lines, and you need to be very careful about how you place your bet. I played at one such place where the rule that was any chips you took out from your stack where automatically committed to the pot, so be very careful! I find you can avoid trouble if you get in the habit of verbally announcing the size of your bet - once you do that then you are committed to that bet, and you are usually free to move your chips anyway you like.

Here is a scenario I have seen dozens of times: Someone in early position raises and a player acting after them who wasn't paying attention bets less than the raise. Oops. Sorry pal, but either you kiss those chips goodbye or you make up the difference (and this is one instance where a player is allowed to move chips in two motions). This happens frequently and the offending player often blames the dealer for not announcing the raise loudly enough, but of course its his own fault.

If you bet or call out of turn, those chips are also committed.

Any cards that cross the betting line are considered dead. Some casinos will consider your hand dead if the cards are even touching the betting line, unless they have a card protector (a chip, a lucky charm, whatever...) sitting on them. It is a good idea to use a card protector to prevent the dealer from accidentally mucking your cards. If another player carelessly throws away his hand and his cards mix with yours, your hand will also be dead if you don't have a card protector.

There are a lot of other rules of course and each place is different, so take the time to familiarize yourself with the local customs.